Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS
‘They allege experiencing ‘retaliatory layoffs’ in response to their unionization efforts.’
Last month, approximately 80 subcontractors from Google Help, who had recently voted to join the Alphabet Workers Union-Communications Workers of America (AWU-CWA), received news that they would be laid off by their employer Accenture. In response, the union has filed a complaint against Alphabet and Accenture with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging retaliatory layoffs that violate labor laws, according to a press release from the AWU-CWA.
Anjail Muhammad, a general writer at Accenture and Google, expressed frustration with the management’s refusal to acknowledge the union, stating, “A few short weeks later they announced their response — that they would be laying off dozens of employees. These jobs aren’t going away though, we’re just being asked to train our replacements abroad.”
When the layoffs were initially announced, Alphabet distanced itself from the issue, claiming that it does not have control over the employment terms or working conditions of the contractors, and that the matter was between the contractors and their employer, Accenture. Alphabet reiterated this position to Fortune, adding that the layoffs were driven by cost-saving and efficiency measures, and that its partners and staffing agencies are carefully chosen and reviewed for compliance with its Supplier Code of Conduct.
In the original unionization announcement, the workers listed both Google and Accenture as joint employers due to their direct involvement in shaping working conditions. They aimed to bring both companies to the bargaining table to negotiate on various demands, including layoff protections.
The team affected by the layoff primarily works in content creation and will be reduced from 130 to around 40 people. They have been instructed to train replacements based in India and the Philippines. It is worth noting that since 2018, the majority of Google employees have been contractors.
In a separate development, contractors from YouTube Music voted unanimously in April to join a union after winning a landmark legal victory that forced Google to negotiate with them. However, Alphabet has indicated that it still does not consider these contractors as employees, suggesting that the matter may end up in federal court.